Songs reigned in the Silent King’s realm.
Valdemar was no music specialist. His experience was limited to his mother’s music box and street performers playing tunes in taverns for a coin; he had never listened an opera or an orchestra.
But as he listened to the melodies echoing across the sand dunes, Valdemar doubted that any mortal instrument could play them. Some sounds he recognized as belonging to trumpets, violins, ocarinas, and pipe organs, but others… Others were more...
2021-11-20 09:27:09 +0000 UTC
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Each level of the Necromanteion was more ominous than the last.
The first layer had been a standard temple, not so different from the many shrines Kairos had visited in his lifetime; the second floor had been a cavern with mysterious magical properties, but somewhat familiar all the same.
The third, though, was unlike anything existing on the surface.
The party held their breath as their skiff traveled against the current and entered a new cavern, brighter and wider than any...
2021-11-20 09:26:46 +0000 UTC
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The Institute’s Hall of Rituals had turned into an art gallery.
When the time came to finally complete the Painted Door project, Hermann decided to have multiple pictomancy works set on the room’s walls; especially pictures associated with death, the Silent King, or doorways. The troglodyte hoped that the presence of so many art pieces in close proximity would somehow enhance the planned ritual.
It took hours for the Institute’s golems to transport them all. In total, the ...
2021-11-16 09:24:44 +0000 UTC
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Cerberus roared and the cavern was set ablaze.
Streams of flames erupted from his three mouths, illuminating the darkness with their bright light. Kairos’ party dispersed in all directions, the spot where they had been standing a few seconds ago turning into a smouldering crater.
“Buckle up, Kairos!” Rook warned his rider as he took flight to avoid the flames. No sooner did the duo reach a few meters above ground that a torrent of fire swallowed them. Even though he summoned...
2021-11-16 09:24:04 +0000 UTC
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“A giant rat, you say?” The old man smiled with a crooked tooth, his eyes hidden behind bandages and an old musket resting on his thighs. “Haven’t smelled a rat in a while. My cat catches them all.”
“A hooded visitor, maybe?” Marianne asked from atop her giant beetle. The farm was calm and peaceful, with giant snails peacefully grazing moss inside their pens. Their owner lived modestly in a two-floor, hollow stone pillar of a house. There were lights and dancing shadows be...
2021-11-13 09:16:17 +0000 UTC
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It was getting darker the further they went.
For the first time since he had started riding Rook, Kairos had to carry a torch in one hand and his spear in the other. It was a struggle, as the flame flickered whenever the griffin flapped his wings, but necessary to see anything. The cavern’s ceiling had grown high enough that Rook could fly relatively unhindered, but he still struggled to avoid stalactites in the dark.
[Sleep
2021-11-13 09:16:08 +0000 UTC
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“You should have let him die,” the Knight of the Beast told her, his eyes squinting behind his horned helm. A lantern’s glow reflected on his plate armor’s steel. “You made a mistake.”
Marianne ignored him, as she and a dozen armored warriors searched the beach of rocks that had once been Verney Castle. Her messenger bat did reach its destination, and a warband of the Knights of the Beast had answered her call. This military order, bound to Horaios’ Dark Lord Hagith, speci...
2021-11-09 09:21:45 +0000 UTC
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Reaching the outpost turned out to be harder than expected.
The adventurers had fortified their small island by digging row after row of coiling ditches and pitfall traps around their settlement. After making landfall, Kairos’ group had spent minutes following Thales’ lead as the automaton navigated them through the defenses, who he had apparently helped to design. The pits were full of ancient, brittle bones.
“You know, we could fly over them,” Rook said, as he leaped aft...
2021-11-09 09:21:36 +0000 UTC
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Lady Mathilde had advised Valdemar not to reinforce his entire body, as it cost a great amount of energy and he only needed to protect a few vital areas.
But she probably hadn’t expected her student to be subjected to artillery fire.
As he heard a click echo from the golem’s cannon arm, Valdemar instinctively jumped between the unconscious Iren and the line of fire. His skin turned to steel from head to toe; his flesh grew denser from the sheer concentration of iron within his...
2021-11-06 09:14:44 +0000 UTC
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The Necromanteion’s entrance had changed a great deal since Kairos had left.
A fortified camp had grown at the central mountain’s feet, shielded by trenches, spikes, and earth walls. Most ‘houses’ were temporary amenities like huts and tents, but wooden buildings had risen with Kairos’ [Idol] at its center: an inn catering to adventurers, an alehouse, an infirmary…
According to Julia, people nicknamed this new settlement ‘Kairos’ Gate’ after him. It took...
2021-11-06 09:14:35 +0000 UTC
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Hi guys,
A while ago I announced that the first audiobook for the Perfect Run was available for pre-order.
Well, today is the official release date! You can now enjoy Ryan's adventures on Audible in all their mad glory ;)
Link: https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Perfect-Run-Au...
2021-11-03 16:32:58 +0000 UTC
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“Are you certain… it was her?” Hermann asked. The disguised troglodyte attracted many curious gazes with his plague doctor outfit, but paid him no mind. “It could have been… a trick of the mind.”
“I know what I saw,” Valdemar insisted. “My True Sight should have protected me from any illusion. I can even see Iren’s real eye color now.”
Iren put a finger on his lips, as he guided the trio through La Dorada’s narrow alleys. “Shush,” he said. “The ladies...
2021-11-02 08:43:18 +0000 UTC
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Thales hadn’t wasted time.
He had increased his workshop’s size threefold while the Foresight’s crew had been abroad, and the already large laboratory had turned into what Kairos could only call a factory. The air was thick with the smell of alchemical fumes and the smoke of forges; hammers shaped molten steel into weapons and armors. [Common] and [Elite] Crafters worked together across vast assembly lines churning out magical items, while healing potions boiled in vast glass tank...
2021-11-02 08:43:10 +0000 UTC
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Hi guys, a few things. First of all, a weird thing happened as I wrote this chapter. I realized Freyja might have been subconsciously inspired by another character from Fire Emblem. I suppose I consumed so much pop culture content she slipped through a backdoor.
So to avoid any potential problem, Freyja's true name is Frigga and she was always called this. Also changed her design somewhat in the previous chapter. Sorry for the bother, I have absolutely no idea how thi...
2021-10-30 08:13:15 +0000 UTC
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Hi guys, I confirm that I'm skipping payments for November, so you won't be charged for this month. Peace.
-----------------------
It had been months since Kairos slept in his own bed.
Though he had grown used to the Foresight’s cabin and the guest rooms on his journey had been quite comfortable, he felt more at peace in his fortress in Histria. Perhaps he subconsciously associated it with the idea of ‘home,’ the same way he valued the old famil...
2021-10-30 08:13:08 +0000 UTC
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Lady Mathilde believed in traveling light.
Valdemar had expected such an esteemed alchemist to gather a large escort of knights for her trip to Astaphanos, but the priestess did none of this. As he reached the Institute’s stables with a bag full of painting supplies, he only found Liliane, Hermann, and Iren waiting next to the carriage.
They had all dressed for the trip. Liliane had traded her usual robes for a more casual blue traveling dress and a chic red beret, while Hermann...
2021-10-26 08:22:12 +0000 UTC
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When the Foresight returned home, its crew found snow falling on Histria.
Deep clouds obscured the sun and showered the shores with a thin layer of ice. The smoke of fires rose from the cities’ countless chimneys, warming the citizens in their homes. After enjoying the Valian warmth, Kairos had no choice but to put a heavy coat over his armor so as not to shudder.
His entire fleet had returned to port to weather the winter, but the Travian captain noticed many more vess...
2021-10-26 08:21:55 +0000 UTC
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The fangs lunged at Marianne’s face to devour her alive.
Reacting quickly, the swordswoman raised her free left hand and stabbed the monstrous rat in the eye. A layer of bone grew over her thumb, as it crushed the eyeball and hit the soft flesh underneath.
Shelley’s fangs stopped within an inch of Marianne’s face as the monster let out a screeching roar. The noblewoman channeled the Blood through her arm to strengthen it, frantically keeping the monster at bay. She tried to ...
2021-10-23 08:02:17 +0000 UTC
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Andromache looked so beautiful as the wind brushed against her face.
Kairos could have watched her all day. Her hair and robes floated with the morning breeze and the sunlight reflected on her perfect skin. The nymph looked every bit like Aphrodite after rising from the sea.
But it was her bright smile that Kairos found the most charming. Andromache’s joy always had an undercurrent of bittersweetness in the past; her moments of happiness were never more than a temporary reprieve...
2021-10-23 08:02:10 +0000 UTC
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Hi guys,
So early poll results are in and option 3 is clearly in the lead by a ratio of two to one. I'll thus proceed with releasing four early chapters and suspend billing for November (be warned that Patreon will still charge you if you change your pledge however).
Many of you suggested that I release the early chapters without pausing the billing feature, and while it does warm my heart, I have to refuse.
Don't get me wrong, I don't spite on your support. I lo...
2021-10-20 09:23:56 +0000 UTC
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Hi everyone!
So, uh, I'm facing something of an odd problem I would like to consult you on.
First of all, the first chapter of Underland is now finally available on RR! However, I have been informed by the webmaster that due to how the trending/Rising Stars algorithm works, I'll probably get penalized unless I publish more content in a quick succession. Too many ratings on the first chapter and a word-count barrier do not mix well.
I have been a...
2021-10-19 20:57:00 +0000 UTC
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Even as a crumbling ruin, Castle Verney looked foreboding.
The fortress’ dark walls hadn’t aged well. Marianne scarcely saw a roof without a hole, or a battlement without a breach in its stone. The Knights’ fires had consumed most of the wooden parts of the architecture, leaving only ashes and black stone. Most towers had collapsed, and the few that still stood looked like broken fingers.
The absence of vines or mushrooms also disturbed Marianne. The castle had been abandone...
2021-10-19 08:41:23 +0000 UTC
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The world was cold and her lover’s hands were warm.
Andromache’s tentacles coiled on the stone floor, while her hound-heads snapped at both Orgonos and Nessus. Even Kairos’ attempts to scratch them behind the ears didn’t appease them. Their existence was bound to the curse, and they sensed their doom approaching.
Even after centuries of cohabitation, Andromache still wondered if these creatures had a mind of their own or if they only echoed her buried emotions. Her anger w...
2021-10-19 08:41:07 +0000 UTC
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Apologies for the slight delay, been having internet troubles.
-------------------------
Many scholars fantasized about the fourth and deepest level of the Institute.
Valdemar had asked everyone from Liliane to Iren about what the Dark Lord kept underneath his fortress, only to always receive the same answer: nobody knew. Lady Mathilde and Edwin seemed to have an inkling, but knew better than gossip about their master’s secrets. Liliane believed that Lord Och hid his...
2021-10-16 08:43:45 +0000 UTC
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Apologies for the slight delay, internet troubles.
--------------------
The crew celebrated all the way to Argos.
After their victory against Teuta’s fleet, the deck had all but transformed into a banquet hall. Nessus had opened some of the Valian wine amphoras they brought, and his honeyed lamb recipe was probably the best Kairos had tasted in his entire life. The crew had gathered around fires to listen to Agron’s songs... or sleep peacefully with a full belly in...
2021-10-16 08:43:35 +0000 UTC
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Hermann’s master was just as odd as he was.
The droning song of flies and cavern locusts heralded his coming in the Hall of Rituals, alongside a black mass of spiders creeping down the walls. A swirling tide of maggots fell from the ceiling, piling up next to one of the twelve columns holding up the underground dome.
Valdemar watched in amazement as the insects and arachnids gathered in the shape of a giant humanoid whose ‘head’ reached the ten meters-tall ceiling. The swarm...
2021-10-12 08:17:54 +0000 UTC
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The Unconquered chased the Foresight across the ocean.
A harsh wind blew behind its sails, fueled by two tornado-shaped wind elementals. Its hundred oars pushed it against the treacherous currents, while a flock of sirens sung above them. Their sweet voice echoed across the waves, soothing Kairos’ wrath and telling him to fall into the ocean. Many sailors had fallen prey to this doomsday call, crashing their ship against rocky shores to escape the song’s maddening ...
2021-10-12 08:17:47 +0000 UTC
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Hi guys, here's the monthly poll. Since we are close to the end of Kairos' second volume, I'll let you choose which arc shall conclude it.
1) The Wolves of Winter
The Beast Cult of Lycaon has terrorized Lyce's noble families for many years, its werewolf assassins doing their best to weaken their master's seal one murder at a time. Their leader, the [Demigod] Romulus, has threatened Kairos' family; and for that, he must die. But though Kairos trave...
2021-10-11 11:20:49 +0000 UTC
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The ecto-catcher hummed as the shadow of Valdemar’s grandfather returned from the dead.
The workshop’s walls trembled as technology and magic merged into a single force. The ring of blood around the machine ondulated as a tired Valdemar fueled it. With his slashed right hand, he gave his life force to call his grandfather’s remaining psychic energies back to the world of the living; and with the left, he tried to guide them towards the portrait on the nearest wall.
Doing one...
2021-10-09 08:05:46 +0000 UTC
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The Foresight had received a warm welcome when they reached Vali, and would depart in a cold silence.
There were silver linings to the situation though. The Myrmidons had accepted Kairos’ offer to settle a new colony in Histria by sending a fertile queen alongside a retinue of male workers and soldiers to the island. If the first ant settlement proved successful, more Myrmidons would make the journey across the Sunsea.
“How many men did you manage to recruit in the en...
2021-10-09 08:05:27 +0000 UTC
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